1>  State and Federal incentives went from $5000 to $19200.

2>  Breakeven Point not including increase in home value went from 32+ years to 7.95 years and if you included home value the breakeven point was less than 2 years.

3>  Return on Equity or Investment (ROI) went from 4.1% to 10+%

4>  The output of the Solar panels increased from 175 watts to 230 watts or a 31% increase.

5>  The overall efficiency of the panels went from 15% to 18% or a 20% increase.

6>  Solar generation went from 49% to 72% of total usage. 
Or 3237 kWh per year to 4530 kWh per year.

7>  Tons of CO2 saved per year went from 3.19 to 4.78.

*On Going Recommendation: The Federal incentives are locked in for the next four years until 2013. However, State incentives are changing constantly. For Maryland Fiscal 2011 - with the exact same system, the grant in Maryland would be reduced from $9200 to $1840. That is a big difference.

Historical Maryland State Grants for a 3.68KW system
FY 2008    $9200       FY 2009    $4600       FY 2010     $3760      FY 2011    $1840

Here are our Production and Savings Numbers:

2009 Electricity Production in kWh ~10 months	4,219
2010 Electricity Production To Date in kWh	3,202
Actual 2009 Electricity Savings	$628.64
Actual 2010 Electricity Savings
To Date Computed Daily	$466.06
Actual Savings Switching Electricity
Suppliers from BGE to Clean Currents	$2.17
Actual Savings Switching Natural Gas
Suppliers from BGE to WGES	$4.07
Lifetime kWh Produced kWh	7,420
Savings to Date (lbs of CO2)	12,315.7
As of	8/25/2010
Total Electricity Savings Lifetime:	$1,096.87

100% of our electricity is from green sources.
~85%+ from Solar & 15% from Wind (Clean Currents) 
The additional electricity that we use is supplied by Clean Currents which is 100% Wind Powered
We signed up for a two year contract in June 2009 at a fixed rate of 11.8 cents per kWh
The savings from switching electricity suppliers illustrates that you can go with Wind Power and it is cheaper than BGE's Coal Power at 11.97* cents per kWh. 
*Note - October 1, 2010 BGE will reduce its rates to 10.08 cent per kWh.
Good for the environment and good for your wallet.

Here are the numbers from my PV setup:
Key Assumptions: Increase in home value is based upon research that shows for every $1 in energy savings it adds $20 to the home value. System installed February 26, 2009.

	Year 1 Feb 26 - Dec 31, 2009	Year 2 EST 2010	Year 3 EST 2011
Basic System Price	$33,620.00
State Grant (less 25% Fed tax)	$6,900.00
Federal Tax Credit (30%)	$10,086.00
Credit Total	$16,986.00
Net Investment	$16,634.00
	50.52%
Avoided Cost of Electricity	$628.64	$700.00	$707.00
SRECs  (Future Est. 85% ACP)	$720.00	$1,600.00	$1,500.00
MD State Tax Credit (Given for 5 Years)	$38.18	$38.18	$38.18
Annual Savings	$1,386.82	$2,338.18	$2,245.18
Total Savings to Date	$1,386.82	$3,725.00	$5,970.18
	($15,247.18)	($12,909.00)	($10,663.82)
Increase in Home Value	$12,572.80	$14,000.00	$14,140.00
	37.40%	41.64%	42.06%
Pay Back	7.95	Years
ROI	8.34%	14.06%	13.50%
If you factor in increase in home value the result after one year would be:
	($2,674.38)	$1,091.00	$3,476.18
Pay Back	Less than 2	Years
System Installed on		February 26, 2009
Estimated Breakeven Date with House Value		September 4, 2010
Estimated Breakeven Date without House Value		January 16, 2018
Estimated Breakeven Date with House Value New Maryland Bill Passed on May 4, 2010		February 15, 2017
Opportunity Cost
Investors define opportunity cost as the difference in return between a chosen investment and one that is necessarily passed up. In other words, it is the amount of money you could have earned if you invested in the optimal investment.
Here are sample annual rates of return for investments from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2009 (ROI's are adjusted for Federal Taxes - 35% for interest and short-term gains - 15% for qualified dividens and long-term gains)
5 Year CD		4% - 5% ROI
Simulated US S&P 500		-1.47% ROI
IFA Real Estate Securities Index		8.44% ROI
IFA Internatioal Value Index		5.55% ROI
IFA 5 Year Global Fixed Income Index		3.37% ROI
IFA Emerging Markets Index		9% ROI
IFA Emerging Market Value Index		12.65% ROI
Projected Return for the next 5 years from my Solar PV System		12.46% ROI
Projected Return for the next 10 years from my Solar PV System		11.61% ROI
Projected Return for the next 15 years from my Solar PV System		10.11% ROI
Data from the IFA (Index Funds Advisors) website www.ifa.com
Past performance does not guarentee future performance.

Bottom Line: There are very few other investments that would return the level of ROI that I will get with my solar PV system and the best part it is guaranteed!

On May 20th, 2010 Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley will sign into law the Renewable Portfolio Standard Bill. This important Bill will speed up the return on your solar investment.